Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 17-08-24

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

CONTENTS

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci sent a letter to OIC member countries

[02] Akinci: "Culture and art recognize no boundaries"

[03] Bagis alleges that many countries would recognize the "TRNC" upon Turkey's request

[04] The Trade Union Platform visits BKP and TKP-YG

[05] The BKP-TKP-YG alliance is being formed

[06] Milliyet reports that Erdogan proposed to King Abdullah to extent the water pipeline from the occupied area of Cyprus to Jordan

[07] Historical artifacts aged 6000 years will be exhibited in a museum in occupied village of Galinoporni

[08] "Bird Airlines" was licensed by the regime to fly to the occupied area of Cyprus but has not launched flights yet

[09] Erdogan conveys 'unease' to Mattis over US backing for PYD

[10] Turkey's EU Minister Celik: "German FM's remarks strengthen racist elements"

[11] Turkey and Vietnam agreed to double trade volume in 3 years

[12] Former MHP MP Aksener to stand as presidential candidate for 2019 elections

[A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS

[01] Akinci sent a letter to OIC member countries

The "TRNC" is an observer state of the OIC under the name of Turkish Cypriot state.

In his letter, Akinci gave detailed information regarding the Cyprus conference that took place in Crans-Montana and why it was unsuccessful. He called on the member countries of the OIC to support the efforts to remove the "unjust isolation" and "embargoes" imposed against the Turkish Cypriot "people" who "clearly support a solution to the Cyprus problem".

Akinci further alleged that since he took office, the Turkish Cypriot side has always displayed a constructive and result orientated stance in the Cyprus talks and detailed the reasons why the Cyprus conference in Crans-Montana was inconclusive.

Akinci also noted that in the referendum that was held in 2004, 76% of Greek Cypriots voted against the UN solution plan and claimed that the Greek Cypriot leader did not show the necessary political will during the Crans-Montana summit in order for a solution to be found.

[02] Akinci: "Culture and art recognize no boundaries"

Modern and Folk Dance groups from Spain, South Korea, Mexico, Turkey and the "TRNC" will be performing throughout the festival which will end on August 27.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the self-styled mayor of the occupied part of Nicosia Mehmet Harmanci, reminded that the annual festival, which at one point been suspended for 5 years, was once again being held.

Self-styled prime minister Huseyin Ozgurgun, for his part, pointed out that the "Caglayan neighbourhood" was extremely important for the occupied part of Nicosia and that he was pleased to see the spirit of cooperation aimed at bringing life back to the area. Also touching upon folk dancing, Ozgurgun said that folk dancing was an important cultural value that Turkish Cypriot society has kept alive throughout its history.

Delivering the final speech, Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said that a nice event had been held to bring life back to the "Caglayan neighbourhood" but added that more was needed to be done. "The old Venetian walls are in desperate need of restoration. This issue is on the agenda of the Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage", Akinci added.

Pointing out that culture and art recognized no boundaries, Akinci claimed: "They can create obstacles or impose unjust embargoes but they cannot limit or prevent art or culture".

[03] Bagis alleges that many countries would recognize the "TRNC" upon Turkey's request

Bagis alleged that since 1974, peace and two "states" have existed on the island and that this peace environment needed to be strengthened by building a win-win formula. He said that "a state exists on the other side as well even though we as Turkey do not recognize it" and that "this state has its own characteristics". He claimed:

"[…] They want to reach a point in the field of energy, but justifiably they are refraining from us. We have to create a mechanism by which both sides will benefit, even though this will not be as in Taiwan. Even though it is a member of the EU, the Greek Cypriot sector does not secure the investments it deserves. Perhaps the EU gives some support but its private sector hesitates on making investments. They behave hesitantly even in the issue of access to natural gas resources. […]"

Bagis alleged that Turkey did not withdraw even a single soldier in Crans Montana and did not return even a hand span of land. He claimed that they would not return even a single stone "because our victims have rights on them". "These were entrusted to us by them", he argued and alleged that they should inform the world about the obstacle put by the Greek as regards the solution.

Bagis also alleged the following: "On the TRNC recognition, there are many countries which will not refuse Turkey's request. […] Do we have such an alternative? Of course we do. Is this one of the choices on the table? Yes. […]"

(I/Ts.)

[04] The Trade Union Platform visits BKP and TKP-YG

Speaking on behalf of the Platform, Selma Eylem, chairperson of the Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers' Trade Union (KTOEOS), said that certain policies were imposed on the Turkish Cypriots in the social and political field and added that with the policy implemented on the issue of population the will of the Turkish Cypriots was weakened. She noted that the retransformation of the community was attempted through education.

Furthermore, in his statements, Sener Elcil, general secretary of the Turkish Cypriot Teachers' Trade Union (KTOS), said that Turkish Cypriots faced the danger of assimilation and integration. He noted that Turkey had turned its face away from the West to Saudi Arabia and that the developments in Turkey were transferred to the occupied area of Cyprus. Recalling the statement made by Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim that whatever happened in Turkey would come to the occupied area of Cyprus as well, Elcil noted that this was the case with the theological college and added that they were now trying to open a second theological college in occupied Famagusta. Elcil said that money was spent for building a mosque in every neighborhood and more money is spent in this field than the budget of the "ministry of education". "After 1974, 15 schools and 46 mosques were built", he noted, adding that there were 300 imams in the occupied area of Cyprus. "The coordination office and the religious affairs laws aim at preparing the infrastructure for this. This course will directly lead us to integration", he argued.

Moreover, Izzet Izcan, chairman of the BKP, said that the policy implemented in the occupied area of Cyprus aimed at turning the northern part of the island into Turkey's province. He noted that first the ground for the assimilation of the workers was prepared and then foreign capital extinguished the local one. "Now they are trying to change and transform the community's way of life", he argued and added that in case they did not unite "under one umbrella", the Sunni Islam would continue to be strengthened and Turkish Cypriots would be weakened. Thus, "the end of this community will come", he warned.

Meanwhile, Sonay Adem, TKP-YG's general secretary, said that they believed that a common ground could be created for driving back any effort to transform their community and that the TKP-YG would take its place in such a struggle. He noted: "[…] The government in Turkey has for a long time adopted an attitude aiming at reducing us to a nonentity. Especially during the last period of the negotiating process it has exhibited a stance which ignored the Turkish Cypriots and declared that de facto they were the ones carrying out the negotiations. Because of that the Greek Cypriot side ignores us and point to Turkey".

Adem further described as "unacceptable" the statements recently made by the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister for EU Affairs and added that the struggle of the Turkish Cypriots was very serious.

(I/Ts.)

[05] The BKP-TKP-YG alliance is being formed

Altiner argues that the chairmen of the two parties, Izzet Izcan and Mehmet Cakici respectively, want to create a "model" similar to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' SYRIZA party which will consist of several small and medium sized parties and organizations.

"As I have said, Izzet Izcan and Mehmet Cakici agreed on almost every issue and reached a consensus. They are even holding many visits together", he reports adding that some "deputies" from the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) who are not satisfied with Tufan Erhuman's administration will support the TKP.

The columnist argues that this alliance might secure around 10% or more in the "elections", establish a "group" in the "parliament" and even become a "coalition partner" in the "government".

(I/Ts.)

[06] Milliyet reports that Erdogan proposed to King Abdullah to extent the water pipeline from the occupied area of Cyprus to Jordan

(DPs)

[07] Historical artifacts aged 6000 years will be exhibited in a museum in occupied village of Galinoporni

(DPs)

[08] "Bird Airlines" was licensed by the regime to fly to the occupied area of Cyprus but has not launched flights yet

The paper notes that nine months and ten days ago it was announced by self-styled government officials that the company would soon start flying to the occupied area of Cyprus but there was no development on the issue.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (24.08.17) reports that Tuncay Celik, Bird Airlines' director, told the paper that establishing an aviation company was a very serious and difficult issue and that the case had come to a deadlock because they did not have Turkey's and the breakaway regime's support. Celik said that they faced some problems with Turkey's bureaucracy and that they could not secure a license yet.

(I/Ts.)

[09] Erdogan conveys 'unease' to Mattis over US backing for PYD

In talks with Mattis, Ankara reportedly expressed unease over increasing armed support from the U.S. to the YPG fighters, who Ankara sees as being closely linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Mattis sought to ease Turkey's security concerns, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official referred to the fact that the U.S.'s special envoy for the anti-ISIL coalition, Brett McGurk, who drew condemnation from the Turkish government over his "proximity" to the YPG fighters, was absent from the American delegation during the talks in Ankara, despite the fact that he had accompanied Mattis for discussions in Iraq the previous day.

Mattis met Erdogan and also had talks with Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli.

The U.S. promised Turkey to provide the serial number and delivery addresses of all arms sent to the YPG, as Turkey said it would monitor the process, presidential sources told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkey stressed that Arabs should administer Raqqa, not Kurds, after the city is totally cleared of ISIL, a stance that the U.S. also agrees with, presidential sources added.

The "joint struggle" against the PKK in the Kandil and Sinjar regions in northern Iraq and cooperation on the defence industry were also on the agenda, presidential sources stated, with the parties agreeing on closer cooperation between security units on the issue.

Erdogan urged Mattis to pledge U.S. support for the trilateral mechanism formed by Turkey, Russia and Iran aiming to establish de-escalation zones in Syria, sources stated.

The two sides also agreed on protecting the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq and on the continued presence of Turkish military units in Afghanistan.

According to presidential sources, Erdogan stressed that a referendum for independence by Iraqi Kurdish administration would be a wrong step.

[10] Turkey's EU Minister Celik: "German FM's remarks strengthen racist elements"

"Gabriel would know that his remarks on Turkey do not reflect reality. He does not make true statements but talks by copying from the far-right or far-left", he added.

Stressing that the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish President were indispensable, Celik wrote, "It is beyond Gabriel's authority to evaluate these issues."

Speaking about Gabriel's statements during his visit to the Ceyhan Chamber of Commerce in Adana Aug. 23 the Minister said: "By calling the 51 percent, who voted "Yes," an authoritarian group and the 49 percent as democrats and advocates of freedom, they are trying to polarize Turkey". Celik added that this analysis was completely false.

He also dismissed Gabriel's claim that German citizens would be arrested in Turkey. He said this was devoid of truth and stressed that there was no problem between the people of Germany and Turkey.

"A great number of German citizens have settled in Antalya and other places of Turkey, and we welcome this", he said.

Celik said they would not tolerate this kind of assault on Turkey's democracy and stressed that Turkey expected that its values would be respected. He also criticized the German Foreign Minister for using derogatory language towards President Erdogan.

"Our President represents the unity of our nation; disrespecting him means disrespecting the people of Turkey and the nation itself," Celik said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's EU Minister Celik has left the doors open for dialogue with German politicians, calling on them to hold talks in order to reach solutions.

Speaking in Adana, Celik also touched upon European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn's recent remarks calling for a new policy toward Turkey. He asserted that Hahn was following the agenda of the Austrian Foreign Minister and was not in line with the principles of European Commission.

"Unfortunately it is a serious mistake from such a position to produce an agenda as that of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Austria while using the title of European Commissioner for Enlargement," Celik said.

Hahn had said that "Ankara is apparently not willing to revise its course, which takes it further and further away from Europe".

On Hahn's remarks that Turkey was moving away from Europe, Celik stressed that Turkey was a European country, not a guest in Europe. The Minister underlined that Turkey was willing to be a member of EU. However, he also added that the relations in this regard should be objective and depend on justice.

[11] Turkey and Vietnam agreed to double trade volume in 3 years

Y?ld?r?m became the first Turkish Prime Minister to visit the Southeast Asian nation when he arrived in Vietnam Tuesday. He met his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the two leaders agreed to work on tapping the vast economic and trade potential between the two countries.

Accompanied by a large Turkish business delegation, the Prime Minister also held key meetings and signed a number of agreements.

Speaking at a joint briefing, Y?ld?r?m emphasized Vietnam's dynamic growth performance and growing population as he pointed out the importance of tapping the vast potential in bilateral trade, which currently stands at just $2 billion.

"I am hopeful that our bilateral trade volume will reach $4 billion by 2020. It is achievable," he said.

In 2016, trade volume between the two countries reached $1.9 billion, with Turkey exporting goods to Vietnam worth $235 million and importing $1.73 billion in goods and products. In the last decade, Turkey's exports to the country were valued at $1.4 billion, while imports reached $11.3 billion.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Turkey and Vietnam is expected to benefit from Turkey's recent sectoral partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as it is considered a gateway to Europe for many Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Vietnam, on the other hand, could also serve as an important hub for Turkey to reach other Southeast Asian markets.

Prime Minister Y?ld?r?m said that the two parties have had some productive meetings on a wide range of topics, including transportation, education, maritime affairs, and defence. He also noted that the two countries agreed on regulations to prevent double taxation, and on the encouragement of reciprocal investments.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phuc said the two countries were committed to creating favourable conditions for businesses in order to promote mutual trade and investment. He expressed his hope for turning a new page in bilateral relations, opened by Prime Minister Y?ld?r?m's visit to the country. He also noted that the two Prime Ministers have finalized key mutual agreements in certain areas of collaboration.

Meanwhile, three agreements were signed between the two countries in the fields of economy, customs and standards, prior to the joint press conference.

[12] Former MHP MP Aksener to stand as presidential candidate for 2019 elections

"Our presidential candidate for the 2019 elections will be Meral Aksener," Ayd?n said in an interview on private broadcaster Fox TV on Aug. 23.

A former MHP lawmaker for Trabzon, Ayd?n had resigned from the party on Aug. 22 and announced his allegiance to a group of MPs who had renegaded from the MHP.

Several MHP lawmakers had resigned or were dismissed after the MHP formed an alliance with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for a constitutional amendment that would grant sweeping powers to the president.

Among those names was Aksener who had been leading the dissident movement within the MHP.

With the announcement of Ayd?n, Aksener became the second presidential candidate, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the 2019 elections.

According to Ayd?n, in public surveys, which were carried out by their group and included Aksener, Erdogan's name could not prevail as number one. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION

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(DPs / AA)

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